This invention relates to cardiovascular fitness stimulated by enforcing body exercise, it being a general object of this invention to stimulate an interest in variations of natural body motions that are coordinated with physical force applied by the body. However, repetition of the same exercise is by its very nature monotonous and boring. Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide variations in the exercise and thereby create a stimulus for its continued application.
It is an object to exercise the entire body, induced into motion by jumping from side to side over a barrier while stabilized by a hand held support. It is also an object to shift the barrier from side to side in response to a turning force applied at said support, whereby force is exerted through both the pelvic girdle and pectoral girdle of the person's body. As to the application of force and/or exertion, it is an object to enable many variations, as will be described, in force application under control of the person exercising. That is, the elected jumping direction involves the pelvic girdle and related turning or twisting of the pectoral girdle, and all of which is infinitely variable within limits. Accordingly, it is an object to apply forces by twisting the torso of the body with turning force applied through the body support, while varying the side to side direction or positioning of the barrier to be jumped.
The aforementioned exercising requirements involve simultaneous jumping and torso twisting and body support turning, it being an object of this invention to provide a shiftable barrier to be jumped, an oscillating body support to be manipulated, and drive means for shifting the barrier in response to oscillating the body support. In practice, the barrier is adjustable as to height and is carried by a rotatable platform, the body support being a pair of spaced hand grips, and the drive means being a motion transfer means that rotates the platform and barrier in response to rotation of the body support.
It is an object of this invention to controllably augment the degree of exercise motion applied by and to the person's body. To this end the rotation of the platform and barrier is inverse to that of the body support and hand grips, whereby shifting of the barrier to one side is in response to twisting the torso of the body to the opposite side. It is to be understood that the person exercising has control over the degree thereof.
The exercising apparatus is embodied in a machine as shown, and there is a stop to limit the degree of barrier shift, and there is a means to brake the otherwise free turning body support and shifting barrier. The position of the stops and amount of body twist is determined by limit means as circumstances require.